


The Warden of Light

by bluebeet11



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Timelines, Alternate Universe - Atlantis: The Lost Empire Fusion, Gen, Sora's Sister
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-23
Updated: 2019-05-21
Packaged: 2019-11-04 14:18:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,354
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17899724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluebeet11/pseuds/bluebeet11
Summary: “Sora dinner’s ready, come on down,” Asa called, setting the curry on the table. Not hearing the sound of her brother’s enormous feet coming down the stairs, she called again. “Sora?”Sora's sixteen year old sister Asa goes on a journey to find her brother and realize her own role in the Keyblade war.(basically I have feels after KH3 and wanted to write something. I'll be going to explore worlds that were not used in the games. This will follow an alternate timeline to Sora's with elements of his story interwoven where appropriate. Also I'm a sora/riku fan so I'm going to drop some hints of FEELINGS more than friendship. Readers-be-warned. Rating and other pairings may change with time)





	1. Destiny Islands

“Sora dinner’s ready, come on down,” Asa called, setting the curry on the table. Not hearing the sound of her brother’s enormous feet coming down the stairs, she called again. “Sora?” No answer. 

Asa Hama sighed. Her younger brother was notorious for coming home and taking a power nap before dinner. Since their grandpa had died, leaving them the house and inheritance, it had just been the two of them. They managed to keep the house mostly in order. Asa took care of things like dinner, cleaning, and finances, while Sora pitched in with laundry and mowed the lawn. 

She started up the stairs and called again, “Sora! Get up. Your curry is getting cold.”

Asa opened the door and was immediately hit with a cold wind. The window was thrown open and a storm was picking up out at sea. Sora was nowhere in sight. She went to the window and scanned the yard. 

There was something odd about the shadows underneath the banana tree. They seemed to move, and for a scary second Asa swore she saw yellow eyes glaring out of them. 

Completely freaked out, Asa shut and locked the window. Sora must have slipped down to the door when she wasn’t looking and left. He’d either gone to Riku or Kairi’s house, but...

...the eyes in the shadows…

Asa felt an uneasy twist in her gut. Something didn’t feel right, and she had the instinctual need to get Sora home now. Rushing back downstairs, she picked up the phone and dialed Riku’s house. The phone rang a moment and then static filled her ears. 

“The hell is going on,” she said shakily. She turned off the burner, wrapped their dinner, and grabbed her raincoat. She ran down the street towards Riku’s house, praying she’d find Sora there. 

She came to a halt as a dark shadow crept from the dark. It had bright yellow eyes and studied her before lunging. Asa jerked back, crying out as its claws scrapped her arm. All thoughts of Sora fled as she was consumed by one instinctual urge: RUN!. 

Asa bolted, dodging around the creature and sprinting for the docks. More monsters came at her, nipping at her heels. She heard screaming from the houses as other islanders suddenly were attacked. 

The dock was in sight. Not bothering to find her canoe, Asa launched herself onto the nearest sea worthy vessel she could. She unhooked the line and in record time pushed herself out to sea. Her heart soared as she saw the monsters stop at the dock, unable to follow her. 

Asa’s flight had landed her on a proa, a large canoe with a single sail and a second hull for balance. It was made for speed, and Asa used that to her advantage as she sped further away from shore. She thanked her many years marining with her grandpa as she fought the large swells the storm was causing. 

The play island was near, and she spotted a familiar red figure running past the waterfall. He slashed at the monsters with a...key? 

“SORA!!!” she cried out, but her yell was stolen by the sea. She turned the bow towards the play island.

And then the world exploded. 

Asa was thrown off the boat into the waves. She gasped and started coughing as her mouth was filled with water. A darkness enveloped the sky and Asa struggled to stay afloat as the water turned black. 

“Help…” was the last weak plea she spoke before being pulled under. 

~

“Tuh ora. Quae cum soba.”

“Cron. Bernot o mik tuh.” 

Asa moaned as consciousness came to her. She felt herself being picked up and cradled by strong arms. Her body hurt all over. 

“Shh...your friends are in the city.” Asa opened her eyes and was greeted with a group of dark skinned men. They were heavily tattooed in strange blue symbols and had stark white hair. Comparatively, she looked quite different with her paler skin and dark brown hair. The tatoos reminded her of the sacred tribal ink designs some of the islanders still practiced. Had she washed up on a distant shore?

“My broth...ugh!” she cried out. Speaking had caused her stomach to double in pain. 

“Do not speak. You are injured. We will take you to our healers,” the man holding her said as they walked. Asa reached down to where the pain was greatest and felt something. What was that...something was sticking out of her stomach?! Her hand came back slick with blood. She started to hyperventilate. “Calm,” came the rumbling answer. 

“Sora...tell...sorry,” Asa gasped, assured that she must be dying. “Sorry…” Her vision got blurry as pain and adrenaline warred in her system. They transferred her to the bottom of a canoe and she gasped at every jostle and jolt as it slid into the water. After what felt like eternity they reached a dock. 

“Sa duweren bernot i mik fion. Kidagakash kon winuh,” her rescuer said to the dock men, and one of them ran off. 

Asa was brought to a tent and was laid to rest on a floor mat. An elderly woman looked her over, tutting at the injury. Asa looked down and finally got a good look. It seemed a part of the boat had broken off and punctured her right above her right hip. 

The woman was busily stirring something in a cup. She added hot water and brought the drink to Asa’s lips. Well if she was dying, whatever was in this cup couldn’t hurt her. She took a few sips of the scalding liquid and felt her mind begin to fuzz. In moments she was asleep. 

\---  
Asa- born at dawn  
Hama- seashore

I apologize to Marc Okrand for the bastardization of his beautiful Atlantian language.


	2. Atlantis-Act 1

Asa woke to a throbbing headache. She sat up and immediately regretted it as her stomach turned. She snagged an empty earthenware jar and retched. There wasn’t much in her, just bile and the tea she’d swallowed, but her body emptied itself and continued to be sick for a few minutes. 

Eventually, the nausea subsided and she gasped for air. Asa felt a motherly hand rub her back and she looked to see the old women. She gestured for Asa to lay back down and she complied willingly. She didn’t have the strength to do much else. 

Her clothes were gone, most likely blood stained and mangled. Asa blushed as the old women checked her stomach. Expecting to see a bandage, Asa was in awe of the puckered scar. How long had she been asleep? Weeks? 

“Good. You’re awake,” a feminine voice said from the tent flap. Asa looked to see a tall blond women step through. She was lanky with a bust and figure that skinny women like Asa wished for. “I’m glad someone else managed to survive the sub explosion.” 

The women tossed a bundle at her feet. “I brought some spare clothes. Commander Rourke wants to speak with you when you’re dressed. I’ll wait outside.”

“Huh?” Asa wondered. She inspected the clothes. They were nothing flashy. Olive green pants, a white t-shirt, and an olive green jacket covered in pockets. The boots were black with thick treads. The whole thing smelled of military.

The islands didn’t have a big military. In years past there had been a lot of naval battles over land and resources. But over the years they had become more and more cultured and sophisticated. The tribes had joined to form a collective nation of people that depended on each other. Now a days ,the military was more a guard against natural threats than human ones. 

Asa dressed quickly and headed out of the tent. The blond woman was there and introduced herself as Lieutenant Helga Sinclair. “Name and rank,” the woman asked her. 

“I uh…,” Asa faltered. “Listen I don’t know what’s going on or how I got here, but I need to go.”

Helga’s eyebrows rose. “I see,” she said slowly. The lieutenant turned and motioned for her to follow. “Well tell me what you do remember and I’ll fill you in.” 

“I remember a storm. I was trying to find my brother, but I was chased by these monsters. Then I almost drowned...and now I’m here. My name is Asa. Is my brother Sora with you? How long have I been here?” 

“Well I don’t know about your brother, but we’ve been here about a day.” 

“A day? My injury…”

“The natives have superhuman healing skills,” Helga explained. “We found Atlantis, but we were unprepared to find natives here. The Commander has negotiated with their King to let us stay the night.” 

“Atlantis?” Asa wondered aloud. She’d never heard of an island with that name. 

“I’ll let the Commander fill you in.” 

Some trucks and a few large tables covered by canopies were set up near a bit of ruined wall. Sitting at one of the tables was a large man munching on some sort of fruit while looking over a bunch of papers. 

“Commander, this is Asa. Unfortunately, trauma and shock have robbed her of some of her memories,” Helga said. 

“So you don’t remember much, aye?” Commander Rourke asked. 

“No...no, sir,” Asa replied. She decided if these people thought she was military, she better act like it until she found Sora and figured out how to get home. She tried standing a little straighter. 

“Well not to worry. So long as you can follow orders, I think we’ll get along just fine.”

Asa tried to keep her face schooled. “Yes sir. Understood,” she said. 

“Good. We’ll need you on deck at 18:00. Dismissed.” 

Asa followed Helga away from the trucks to a group of tents where some more military types were lounging. “Dinner’s in a few hours. You can rest in the meantime,” Helga said before walking back over to where the Commander was. 

As soon as the woman was gone, Asa took off. She was gonna check every nook and cranny for Sora, and then split. She retraced her steps back to the dock, looking through every stall and boat. Then it was up into the ruins. 

An hour passed and it started getting dark. She spotted a gangly man with glasses talking animatedly with a pretty native woman. They were both speaking her language so she gravitated toward them. 

The man spotted her first. “Oh you’re up. Glad to see you all patched up.”

“Who are you?” Asa asked. 

“You were asleep last time I saw you. The healers gave you a kind of sleeping pill,” he explained. “I’m Milo.” 

“And I am Kida,” the woman introduced. “I have been showing Milo the city. Are you hungry? We are going to my friend’s house to have an evening meal.” 

“I’m famished actually,” Asa admitted. Her early nausea had long since passed and all this running around had made her tired. 

“Come then.” Kida smiled and led the two to a large, brightly lit structure. They sat down to what felt like a banquet of sea life. Milo seemed to have some trouble with the cutlery as Kida tried to work out the rest of Milo’s companions in her head. 

“Cookies are sweet, but yours is not. Sweet is kindly, but that is not his name. Audrey is sweet, but she is not your daughter. And the little digging animal called mole. He is your pet?”

Asa snorted into her food as she giggled. She glanced over at the people they were talking about. She’d said hi to them in passing (the doctor trying to do a full medical check-up which she thankfully was able to escape from) and they did seem like an odd bunch. 

“Close enough,” Milo shrugged. 

“And where do you fit in Asa?” Kida asked her. 

“I don’t really. I…” Helga and Rourke were rough and all business, but these two seemed friendlier. Perhaps she could tell them the truth, and get some help. 

“Okay so here’s what happened…” And Asa launched into a recounting of her day since Sora had gone missing. She explained her island paradise, the boat crash, her missing brother, and being swallowed by a dark shadow. “And everyone thinks I’m with you guys, but I’m not. I’m lost and I need to find Sora and go back to my island.” 

At this point Milo and Kida had gone completely silent. 

“That’s...wait. So you aren’t from the submarine,” Milo clarified.

“No I’m not,” Asa repeated. 

“I believe we should take you to see my father,” Kida said, standing up. “He may know how to help you.” 

Asa felt her heart swell with relief. “Thank you so much,” she gushed. 

Kida led them out of the house and deeper into the city. They passed several guards who bowed their heads at Kida.

“Uh Kida,” Asa ventured “Why are they bowing?”

“She’s their princess,” Milo explained. 

Asa mouthed an ‘O’ before understanding hit...princess meant royalty...so her father was…

“A KING!? You’re taking me to meet a king?” Asa gasped. Here she was in borrowed clothes that didn’t fit her (and smelled faintly of gunpowder), with messy hair, and zero make-up. She felt like a complete shipwreck. Not to mention she’d been hanging with a princess and didn’t even know. 

“Yeeesss…” Kida said slowly, not understanding what Asa was getting all worked up about. 

“Sorry,” Asa grumbled. “I just look awful and this is my first time meeting royalty.” 

Milo patted her shoulder. “It’ll be fine. Follow my lead.” 

They entered the throne room and Kida greeted her father with a bow, speaking in their native tongue. Milo did a similar bow and Asa followed suit. 

“Father, this outsider is new. She did not come with the others and has a strange story. I had hoped you could help her,” Kida told him. 

“Another outsider,” the King said dismissively, “Then she may leave with the others in the morning.” 

“Your majesty,” Milo interjected. “At least hear what she has to say.” 

The King seemed to think for a moment and then motioned her forward. “Fine. I will indulge you this one luxury. Make it short. I do not have all night.” 

So for the second time that day, Asa explained how she came to be there. When she finished the King sat silently in thought. Eventually, he waved to his hand at them. “I want all but the girl to leave us.” 

“Father?” Kida questioned. 

“You too Kida. This girl and I have some things to discuss. Things that you do not yet need to know,” the King said. 

“I...yes Father,” Kida agreed. “Come Milo. I had wanted to show you something anyway. We will come back later for you Asa.” 

“Thank you,” Asa called as she, Milo, and the guards left, leaving her alone with the King. Despite being alone with an old blind man, Asa suddenly felt very vulnerable. 

“Child what was your name again?” he asked. 

“Asa.” 

“Asa I have grave news. Your islands...the heartless have destroyed them. They are gone. I am sorry.” 

Asa felt her heart wrench. “I don’t understand. What are heartless?” 

“They are an ancient evil born from the darkness within our hearts. All things have a heart: people, animals, plants, and even worlds. The heartless, like mindless animals, seek out hearts and devour them. If they take the heart of a person like you, that person dissolves into a heartless themselves. But if they take the heart of a world, the world is shattered and falls into a dark realm.”

“So what about me?”

“Occasionally, when a world is destroyed there are survivors. Those with strong hearts sometimes are able to cross into another world. I believe this is what happened to you. While, searching for your brother in such chaos, your heart was shining with love and a need to protect at all costs. That protected you.”

“And my brother?” Asa asked worriedly. 

“He may have fallen asleep with the world in the darkness. He may be cast out like you. Or he could have been turned into a heartless. I can not say.” 

Asa felt the enormity of what this man was telling her, and started crying silently. The old King seemed to understand her pain and reached out to comfort her. It reminded her of something her grandpa would have done and she leaned into the momentary hug before pulling away. 

“Is there anything we can do?” she asked finally. 

“There were once warriors who had the power to lock the heart of worlds away. In doing so, they were protected from the heartless. But the last master and his apprentices were lost to us years ago.” 

“What should I do?”

“I will procure passage to a place called Traverse Town. It is a world for those whose worlds were lost. Seek out a man named Merlin. He’s an old friend and can help you from there,” the King explained. “And speak of this to no one. It is dangerous for outsiders to meddle in the worlds of others. I understand that your coming here was unintentional so I shall over look it. Someday, I will tell Kida all this. But for now she is safer in ignorance.”

The King motioned to the door. “Tell the guards to provide you with a place to stay here in the palace. Tomorrow morning, I will give you the means to leave.”

“Thank you,” Asa said, standing and going to the door. She told the guards outside and they called for one of the servants to lead her to a vacant bedroom. It was modest, just a stone bed with a straw mattress and blankets on top. 

There was a spare set of Atlantis style clothing on it. She examined the long skirt accompanied with a pink bralette top and a sort of billowy blue shrug. As much as she was hating the military cloths, she had a feeling the skirt wouldn’t be easy to move in when she was traveling. Asa decided to compromise, and in the end was wearing the military boots and pants, which came to her natural waist, with the bralette and shrug. She ran her frazzled hair through a comb. It hung long and she took the time to re-braid it. 

Feeling a little better in her new clothes, Asa laid down to sleep. Her heart ached with homesickness. As she started to fall asleep, she concluded that she was going to do everything she could to save her home and get her brother back.


	3. Atlantis-Act 2

Asa was awoken by a large bang. She heard screaming, and rushed to the door. Servants were running past, yelling in their strange tongue at each other. She ran towards the sound of the bang to see the strange black heartless creatures attacking the guards.

Her body stopped in fear, remembering the last time these creatures attacked her. They took her island...Sora. “No!” Asa yelled, the fear vanishing as the need to fight suddenly rose within her. “You aren’t going to destroy this world too!”

With no weapons, she rushed them. It was blind dumb luck that their claws missed as she skidded to a stop and scooped up a spear by a fallen guard. It had been a long time since she’d spared at the play island, and at the time her weapon of choice had been a five foot staff.

She swung the spear now like a staff, swiping at the heartless. Between her and the few guards left standing, they took down the rest of the enemies blocking the hallway. She jogged down to the throne room to see Rourke threatening the king. Milo and Kida were being held at gun point and the rest of Milo's companions seemed to be on Rourke's side.

“How about it chief,” Rourke said, a toothpick in his mouth and gun in his hand. “Where’s the crystal chamber?”

“You will destroy yourselves,” the King warned.

“Maybe I’m not being clear.” He punched the old man in the ribs and Asa gasped as she heard an audible snap fill the room. The king slumped to the floor as Rourke took his place on the old man’s throne. Kida said something that sounded an awful lot like Atlantean for ‘you’re an asshole’ which Asa wholeheartedly agreed with.

Asa tried to run in to protect the old man when one of Rourke’s thugs leveled a gun at her. Her spear was useless against live bullets, and she dropped it to raise her hands in surrender.

Dr. Sweet seemed to remember his Hippocratic oath as he bent down to check on the king. “Rourke, this was not part of the plan,” he accused.

“Things change doc,” Rourke shrugged. “I suggest you put a bandage on that bleeding heart. Well as usual diplomacy has failed us. Now I’m going to count to ten and you are going to tell us where the crystal is.”

Asa gasped in shock as the man leveled his gun at the King’s head. “One, Two, Nine, Te…”

Rourke suddenly paused in his tirade of destruction as a look of understanding hit him. “The heart of the crystal lies in the eyes of our king,” he said jumping up. “This is it!” He, Helga, Milo, and Kida jumped onto the dais in the middle of the room. It rumbled before sinking down below the floor.

The man pointing the gun at her lowered his guard as he viewed the spectacle and Asa took the advantage. She didn’t know a lot about hand to hand fighting, but her grandpa had shown her how to land a punch. The man’s head jerked to the side and she used her momentum to grab his gun away. Some of the other men opened fire and she dived behind a pillar.

“Stop! Stop!” Dr. Sweet was yelling. But it was chaos as people scrambled to figure out friends from foes. A mask wearing soldier rounded the corner and she put the butt of the gun in his face. Dropping the weapon she grabbed his feet and yanked, laying him out flat and unconscious.

There was an explosion from Vinny and Audrey screamed, “EVERYBODY HOLD IT!!!!!”

They all froze, and Asa took the pause to run to the King. “Your majesty,” she called.

“The crystal is our world’s heart,” the King told her. “Go...protect it. Or this world will fall into darkness.”

“I…” Asa looked at Dr. Sweet and the others watching her. “I will. You guys don’t know what’s going on, but I do. Trust me, this crystal gets hurt and you’ll be punching a hole in your own boat.” She looked around the room and spotted a rope on the floor. Asa grabbed it and quickly tied one end to the pillar.

“Hey wait!” Audrey cried out, but Asa was already running towards the hole Milo and the others had disappeared into. Keeping firm hold of the rope, she jumped.

Asa had underestimated just how far down it was. The rope was too short, and with a jolt her descent stopped twenty feet from the chamber floor. Luckily, Helga and Rourke were so focused on the crystal that they didn’t notice her suddenly hanging above them. The cavern was enormous and filled with still water that occasionally dripped from the ceiling. High up was the blue crystal surrounded by boulders holding intricately carved faces. 

Milo was watching a figure walking...on the water?! Kida! What was she doing?

Like the others, Asa watched helpless as Kida crossed the water and was pulled up into the crystal. It was beautiful. Bright blue and sparkling with light, it lit up the chamber like a sun.

Asa wasn’t sure what to do. She’d jumped down here without a plan and now the heart of Atlantis was infusing itself with the princess. Kida...or rather...the crystal floated down to the water, a visible dip in the water showing a sort of force-field around it.

Kida started to cross back to them, and Asa realized the crystal was walking right to Rourke.

“Stop!” she cried out, calling attention to her presence. Helga aimed and fired, barely missing her as she started swinging. She jumped, landing in the water with a splash. Kida/crystal glowed red and turned its attention to her. It continued its walk, until the force-field enveloped her and she was picked up and set next to Kida.

Asa shivered from the cold water and was surprised with how solid the AIR felt beneath her feet. When it looked at her, Asa knew that it wasn’t Kida but an old being who was staring back. It touched her chest and she heard Kida’s voice in her head. “Trust your heart. All will be well.”

Asa followed the crystal back to shore, her chest feeling warm and fuzzy, like something had suddenly blossomed within her.

“Don’t touch her,” Milo warned as Helga reached out for the Kida/crystal.

“I...you can’t do this,” Asa tried to reason with the commander. “If you take her, you’ll be killing this world. They’ll be consumed by the darkness. Didn’t you see the monsters.” Helga grabbed Asa’s arm to keep her from trying anything.

“This is business.Those creatures came to me. Said they’d answer to me if I gave them a part of the crystal,” Rourke explained. “I’ll double cross them later. It’s nothing personal, but we’ve been paid a lot of money to get this thing to the surface.”

“It’s what keeps this place alive!” Asa argued, and Milo backed her up.

“She’s right,” he said. “These people use the crystal to extend their life. You’ll be killing a whole civilization.”

“Well in that case, I say we charge double,” Helga said. Milo glared at her in absolute disgust. 

They stepped on the dais and it rose back up to the throne room. Rourke’s men whisked Kida/crystal away as Milo tried to reason with him under gunpoint. Asa followed along. Ever since the crystal had touched her chest, she felt strange. Like a fire had been lit within her wanting to burst out. 

They followed them out to the trucks preparing to leave. The other Atlanteans realized what was happening and came to watch as well, helpless. Milo called out to his companions one by one, laying on the guilt thick. Asa couldn’t blame him. These people were stealing something irreplaceable and precious for stupid selfish gain.

Finally Audrey seemed to hear reason and came to stand by them. One by one the others followed until they all stood against Rourke.

“Oh you have got to be kidding me,” Rourke called from the truck. “We are this close to payday and you guys grow a conscious.” He rolled his eyes and started up the truck. “Fine! More for me.” He headed over the bridge that separated the central dais that Atlantis sat on with the rest of the underground. Asa ran to chase after them.

Vinny grabbed her arm. “Let go,” she demanded.

“Just wait a minute,” he said calmly.

As the last truck passed the end of the bridge it suddenly exploded, throwing debris. Vinny dragged her down and they lay flat until the danger had passed. “Okay...now you can go,” Vinny told her.

Milo stood at the edge of the ruined bridge before heading back to the palace. The rest followed him, unsure of what else to do.

Dr. Sweet shook his head as they neared the king. The old man was taking long ragged breaths. Asa had watched this several years ago at her grandpa’s bedside. It wouldn’t be long now.

“Where is my daughter?” the old man asked.

“She...uh…” Milo faltered, not knowing how to explain what had happened.

“She has been chosen, like her mother,” the King said in anguish. “In times of danger, the crystal will choose a host, one of royal blood, to protect itself and its people.”

“Wait a minute,” Milo interjected. “Choose? This thing is alive.”

“It’s a heart,” Asa said suddenly in understanding. “When it touched me. I felt it. It’s alive just like you and me.”

“It connected with you,” the King said. “A powerful gift.” He turned back to Milo. “When our ancestors discovered the crystal we found it could be used for power, longevity, and protection. In my arrogance, I sought to use it for war, but such acts go against the nature of a heart. In pain, the crystal’s power grew beyond my control and in the end we were destroyed.”

“That’s why you hid it,” Milo understood. “To stop history from repeating itself.”

“And to prevent Kida from suffering the same fate as my wife. If she remains bound to the crystal, she could be lost,” he reached out to Milo. “Take my crystal, find my daughter, and restore the heart to Atlantis.” He then reached out blindly for her. “Asa…” he called.

She came forward, “Your majesty?”

“You know the truth of the crystal. Tell my daughter all you have learned, and tell her...I love her,” he said, his voice growing softer. He took a breath and sunk down into his throne, his body growing still. Everyone bowed their heads at his passing.

“The truth?” Milo asked standing up.

“I’ll tell you everything once we’ve saved Kida,” Asa assured him.

“Once we’ve saved her?” Milo said with disbelief. “And just how are we going to do that?”

“Well we’ve got to do something,” Asa continued. “Don’t you have any ideas?”

“Oh, my ideas? Well, I think we've seen how effective my ideas have been,” Milo said exasperated. “Let's recap. I lead a band of plundering vandals, to the greatest archaeological find in recorded history thus enabling the kidnap and/or murder of the royal family not to mention personally delivering the most powerful force known to man into the hands of a mercenary nutcase who's probably going to sell it to the Kaiser! Have I left anything out!?”

“Well you did set the camp on fire and drop us down that big hole,” Dr. Sweet added.

“Thank you,” Milo groaned sarcastically. Asa touched his shoulder.

“I know you’re frustrated and hurt,” she said. “But now is not the time to lose heart. We have to save her and the crystal.” Asa patted him on the back. “So how do we get to them?”


	4. Atlantis-Act 3

This was honestly the craziest thing she had ever done. Asa was currently strapped to a giant stone fish that was flying. Somehow she’d ended up with Cookie next to her. He was yelling, “YEE HAW!” like they were riding a bull.

“Can you not do that?” she asked. “It’s actually hard to drive this thing and you yelling is distracting.”

“Oh all right,” Cookie pouted before muttering, “Spoil sport.”

“There they are!” she heard Milo yell from the fish next to them. A large red balloon with the box containing Kida/crystal hanging below it was slowly rising up a shaft that led to the surface.

“Okay Cookie,” Asa said. “You get the guns. I drive.”

“Now that’s what I’m talking about,” Cookie smirked, showing off his few teeth.

Together with the other cavalry, they opened fire on the balloon. It seemed Rourke had a few tricks up his sleeve though as masked men on small aircrafts and flying red heartless shooting fireballs started firing back. She dodged between them, trying her best to give Cookie ample time to retaliate.

She saw Milo suddenly aim his fish at the balloon and Asa cried out in alarm. The two collided and she frantically looked to see if she could catch his falling body before realizing he was clinging to the balloon.

“Watch out!” Cookie shouted, causing her to focus back on the battle as two armed men let loose bullets on them. Asa gasped when one hit her arm, grazing it. A quick inspection showed it was little more than a superficial flesh wound, but it cautioned her to be more careful.

The fighting continued and she heard a shout from Vinny as a flare was shot up into the air towards the balloon. “RETREAT!” he called. She followed his command just as the helium in the balloons exploded.

She lost sight of what was going on on the balloon as they worked to take down the last of Rourke’s thugs. The loss of air caused the balloon to finally come crashing down.

Asa landed, her whole body shaking with adrenaline. The heartless were swarming around the fallen box containing the Kida/crystal. She jumped from the fish as Mole yelled that the explosion was causing the volcano to come to life.

“Get off!” she yelled at the heartless. She ran towards the swarm and her heart surged with warmth. It bled up through her hands and punched out her fingertips with a swell of light. It singed the heartless, causing them to pop out of existence.

Asa stared at her hands, flabbergasted at what had just happened. Milo came up behind her to throw a chain around the box as the volcano buckled beneath them.

“I…” she started, but he grabbed her arm and practically threw her back on the fish with Cookie. For such a scrawny guy, he could be strong when he wanted to.

“Deal with it later,” he told her. “We gotta go!”

Clearing her head of the strange event she set to the task of flying the fish out of the volcano as fast as she could. The others were ahead of them already and she tried her best to keep her mind focusing on getting out.

The landed in Atlantis and her stomach plummeted as Asa realized there would be no escape from the volcano's fury here.

Suddenly, Kida/crystal’s box flew open and a hush fell over the crowd as it rose up, spinning and casting magical rays of light. The old submerged figures in the water surrounding the city rose up and lumbered toward the edge of the circle. With a thunderous clap they created a protective barrier around them just before the volcano covered them in lava.

With a flash of magical light the molten rock was cooled and hardened, and Asa found herself plunged into the dark with only the bright blue light of the crystal shining down on them. It was eerie and she felt Cookie bump her as they huddled closer together. Little by little a web of curling light cut the volcanic crust. It broke and fell away, showing the city whole and unharmed.

Asa watched with the others as, slowly, a figure descended down from the clouds into Milo’s arms. It was Kida, whole and uncrystallized. They’d survived.

***

Asa packed up her new backpack with food, spare clothes, and an old pocket knife the crew had dug up as a parting gift. She reached up and touched the crystal around her neck. Kida had insisted on giving it to her, and the warmth it emitted reminded her of the strange circumstance with the heartless.

She hadn’t been able to repeat her light show, and no real explanation had been given for where the surreal ability had come from. Asa hoped she could find some answers from Merlin.

After Kida had returned to them, Asa had sat down with Kida and Milo and told them everything the King had disclosed to her. They were shocked to say the least but Kida had promised she would do everything in her power to help Asa.

They had outfitted a small stone fish with everything she would need for the journey, and after some digging in the archives Milo had discovered a very old star map. He’d done his best to decode the Atlantian and found it did mention a Traverse Town. With his help, she’d plotted a course that hopefully would lead her to where she needed to go.

Milo’s companions had left the day before, ignorant that she was also not staying in Atlantis. It had been sad to see them go. They had been through so much together and she would miss the oddball crew.

Asa made her way out of the palace where Milo was waiting for her. He was double checking the star map he’d copied in English for her. “Ready,” she called.

“You sure you can do this on your own?” he asked, handing the map to her. “I could go with you…”

“Milo,” Asa said, stopping him. “We’ve been over this. Atlantis needs you and Kida here. My people have a history of wayfinding and trust me, I can read a map and find my way.”

“Yeah,” Milo said with an accepting smile. “It still boggles my mind you are from an entirely different world. It makes me wonder how many are still out there. Unexplored.”

“I’m sure you’ll find out someday,” Asa reassured him.

They made there way down to the docks where Kida was ordering her provisions onto her craft and making sure everything was ready. The woman hugged Asa when she saw her. It was strange. They’d only known each other for a few weeks, but the two had bonded somehow. It had to do with the crystal. It had touched both of them.

“If you are unable to bring your world back, you are more than welcome to make Atlantis your new home,” Kida told her. “I hope you return with your brother. I would very much like to meet him.”

“I will,” Asa promised. She gave Milo and Kida one last hug before boarding the fish and taking off.

She headed up, following the old roads the map showed. Asa had to double back a few time due to cave ins but eventually she popped out of the world into a vast sea of stars. She frowned as she looked back and forth between the map and the sky. Some were missing. She traced the patterns with her finger, calling out the names that had once filled the empty spaces.

“Land of Dragons, Sleepy Hollow, Supersland...how many have the heartless destroyed,” she wondered allowed to herself.

Asa finally found Traverse Town on her map and turned her fish towards the little dot. Time to find Sora.


	5. Traverse Town - Act 1

The whole trip was rather boring. It seemed the worlds around Atlantis had all been destroyed, leaving a vacant stretch of darkness. 

As she neared Traverse Town, strange vessels started rushing past her. Most left her alone, but one large ship with a strange purple hue fired a missile at her. Caught by surprise, it hit and she lurched as the whole fish shook. She tried to speed away, but it followed her shooting a few more times. Another missile struck and blew a hole out the back. 

She could see the world ahead of her, and she arched the fish down. It seemed her first introduction to Traverse Town was going to be as a crash landing. Asa tried to keep hold of the controls as long as she could, aiming for an empty courtyard amidst the sea of houses. She yanked the crystal powering the fish out at the last moment, cutting off the engines. 

“No, no, no,” she chanted to herself in panic as the ground loomed larger and larger. Unfortunately, the Atlantis fish was not made with seatbelts and when it finally impacted with the ground she flew forward and smashed her head. 

_

Asa awoke in the dark. It took a moment to orient herself. She was lying under a blanket in a bed. Seeing a lamp in the gloom, she reached up and fumbled to turn it on. Eventually a soft light filled the room. 

The entire room was decked out in red with yellow decorations covering the various trimmings. Her pack was sitting against the wall and her Atlantis crystal was on the bedside table. She put it on, and rubbed her eyes. She felt tired despite sleeping, and surprisingly she wasn’t covered in head to toe injuries considering she crashed. 

“How is she doing?” Asa heard a masculine voice outside the door. 

“Sleeping when I left her,” a female voice told him. “The potion healed her injuries, and I was finally able to get her to let go of that crystal she was clinging to.” 

The door swung open to show a tall man in black and a pretty young woman dressed in pink beside him. 

“Oh, you’re up,” the woman said happily. 

“Yeah...Where am I?” Asa asked, swinging her legs off the bed. Her boots were on the floor and she reached down to pull them on. 

“You’re in a hotel in the second district of Traverse Town,” the man in black explained. “The bigger question is how you got here. I’ve never seen a vessel like yours before.” 

“I’m Aerith,” the girl introduced. “And this is Leon.” 

“I’m Asa,” she introduced. “And I came here from Atlantis looking for my brother. His name is Sora. Have you seen him?” 

Leon and Aerith shared a look of surprise. 

“You’re Sora’s sister?” Leon confirmed. 

“You have seen him!” Asa said, jumping up. “Oh thank god. Where is he? Is he okay?” 

“He’s not here right now,” Aerith told her. “But when he was, he was fine.”

“Where can I find him?” Asa asked. Aerith faltered and looked at Leon for help. 

“Your brother is a Keyblade wielder,” Leon said. “He’s currently world hopping with two of the King’s royal court.” 

Asa raised an eyebrow. “The heck is a Keyblade.” 

After one very long explanation about Keyblades, Asa was sighing in exhaustion and frustration. It had been a long evening. After finding out from a man named Cid that her fish ship was totalled, she had explained the events since she had left her islands. 

In return, Leon had told her what he knew Sora’s apparent destiny as a wielder. 

“Let me get this straight,” Asa said. “You beat up my brother, a fourteen year-old kid, told him he was the chosen one and set him off to who knows where with a magic duck and a...goofy?” 

“Yes,” Leon said. 

“Are you stupid?” Asa leveled at him, annoyed. “You don’t just give a kid a magic weapon, tell him he’s the chosen one, and then let him run off on his own!”

“The King’s court magician and guard captain are very capable,” Aerith assured her. “They took down a huge heartless here in town with your brother. They’ll keep him safe.”

“Safe?” Asa said in disbelief. “From my understanding they’re only interested in finding their King. My brother is just unfortunate enough to have stumbled upon this Keyblade they need. Who’s to say they won’t just leave him when they get what they want?” 

Aerith faltered. “Well, I doubt they have that kind of darkness in their heart,” she said. “They seemed like good people.”

“And the Keyblade will keep them safe,” Leon reasserted. “Like it or not, your brother has a job to do.” 

Asa tried to stare him down, but he was a few years older than her and significantly taller. Finally, she gave up and huffed. 

“Fine,” Asa said. “Then I’m going after him.”

“In what? Your ship was destroyed,” Leon reminded her. “Listen. Stay here for the time being. Cid said Merlin should be here soon. He might know a way to contact Sora for you.”

Asa hated his damn logic. She wanted to see her brother safe and whole. These people said he was fine, but a part of her wouldn’t believe it until she saw it with her own eyes. 

“Why don’t you come stay the night with me?” Aerith offered. “I’m sure Yuffie would love to meet you.” 

Asa sighed. “Alright. I will wait for this Merlin fellow to show up. But after that, I am going to help Sora,” she said. “If he is chosen he’s going to need all the help he can get.” 

“As long as that’s settled, we should get you some sort of weapon,” Leon said. “You got a preference.” 

“Well I’ve always been partial to staffs, and I used a spear in Atlantis,” she said. “Will I need one here?” 

“Yeah. The heartless roam almost every district. Me, Yuffie, and Aerith do our best to keep at least district one safe, but the others still have heartless show up now and then,” he explained. “It’s been getting worse as more and more worlds disappear.” Leon pushed headed for the door. “Stop by the moogles on your way home and put in an order.” 

“Okay,” Asa agreed. Leon left, grabbing a rather scary looking gun/sword weapon that was leaning on the wall. Aerith followed with Asa next to her. “You don’t use a weapon?” she noticed. 

“Hmm...I’m partial to magic. And I’m better at healing spells,” Aerith explained. “In a fight I back up Yuffie and Leon so they can focus on the heartless. I’ll teach you a few simple spells if you’d like. From what you told us, it sounds like you unconsciously used magic when you were protecting the princess.”

“Magic huh?” Asa mused. “We didn’t have anything like that on the islands.” 

Their trip from the hotel only had them run into two little heartless which Leon cut down without breaking a sweat. Inside the door of district one was a young girl with short black hair twirling a huge throwing star on her finger. 

“Hey!” she called cheerily. “Ready to switch out. I’m bushed.” 

“Asa this is Yuffie,” Aerith introduced. “Yuffie this is Sora’s sister, Asa.” 

The girl leaned in close, examining Asa with a critical eye. “Yeah I can see it,” she said after a moment. “Same eyes, same bangs, same colored hair. How old are you?” 

“Sixteen,” Asa answered. 

“Yay!” Yuffie cheered happily. “Same age as me.” 

“The moogles are this way,” Aerith said as Leon took up Yuffie’s position. The three women filed through the door to see a whole bunch of strange creatures that Asa assumed were moogles. 

The little creatures seemed delighted by her request and asked if she had any supplies to use. They had already stripped her fish ship of anything useful, and willingly handed over some munny for the scrap material. 

“Um...what kind of supplies are you looking for?” she asked. 

“Magical or rare items, kupo. They make the best stuff.” The moogle wiggled its round red nose. “What about that, kupo?” it asked, pointing to the crystal hanging around her neck.

“This?” Asa verified, taking off the crystal. 

“That crystal could be used to make a really strong staff, kupo,” the moogle suggested, pointing the Atlantean crystal around her neck. 

“Strong how?” Asa asked. 

“Staff be both for fighting and magic, kupo,” it explained. 

Asa took of the crystal. It was part of a world’s heart and she squeezed it, sensing the energy within. It wanted to protect. As long as she used the staff for that reason, it would be at peace. “Let’s do it,” she agreed and handed it over to the moogle. 

“Be ready in a few days, kupo. Thank you for your business,” the little moogle said, waving them out the door. 

The three girls exited the shop via a trap door which led down into another store where an Cid sat behind the counter reading the newspaper. He glanced up at them. “Heading home?” he asked. 

“Going to get the new girl settled,” Aerith explained. 

“We’re gonna have a sleepover!” Yuffie gushed excitedly. 

He gave Asa a once over. He sniffed and wiped his nose. “See you in the morning.” 

“Good night Cid,” Aerith bade as they made their way out the door. They headed to the right and through a big door that opened up to more buildings. Asa tried to make sense of the twisting, turning streets but it felt like a maze. The bright neon and bricks of this world made her suddenly long for palm trees and sand. 

“Here we are,” Aerith said and stopped at a door that opened to a set a stairs. They walked up to another door on the second floor. Inside was a small apartment. There was a large room with a kitchenette, a table and chairs, and a couch. Off that room was a little bathroom and a bedroom with some bunk beds and a cabinet for personal items. 

Aerith went over to the kitchenette and started pulling out supplies for dinner, and Yuffie flopped on the couch. She patted the other couch cushion. “Sit down Asa. I want to hear about how you ended up crashing a giant stone fish in the middle of the plaza.”

Asa sat down next to Yuffie and recounted her events of leaving Destiny Island for what felt like the hundredth time. Yuffie asked a lot of questions as they talked, keeping up a steady chatter until the food Aerith was making had Asa’s stomach growling. 

“So what about your parents?” Yuffie asked. 

“My dad was never in the picture. Mom raised us until a disease took her when we were really little. I don’t remember her much,” Asa explained. “And then Granny and Grandpa took us in.” 

“Where are they?” 

“Gone. Both of old age,” Asa told her. “It was sad but it wasn’t like they didn’t leave us penniless. We inherited the house and were left with enough munny to keep us comfortable until I can graduate school and get a job.” 

Asa paused as she realized something. 

“What’s wrong?” Yuffie asked. 

“I just realized; all my classmates, my teachers, my friend Lulu; everyone I knew is gone. I have no idea what happened to them,” Asa said softly. “Am I ever gonna get home?” 

Aerith looked back at them with a sad expression. “We ask ourselves that too sometimes. But home is where you make it. Traverse Town is an okay place to call home for now.” 

Asa nodded. “Yeah...you’re right.” She tried to shake off the blues and hopped off from the couch. “Well I’m gonna find Sora and get our home back,” Asa said with conviction. Yuffie giggled at her. 

“What?” Asa pouted. 

“Just the way you sound. Reminds me of Sora,” she told her. 

Asa shrugged. “Well he is my kid brother. Who’s to say he doesn’t sound like me? I had to teach him almost everything he knows.” 

“Oooo...I know,” Yuffie said as they got up to gather at the table where Aerith was setting out some burgers and fries. “Tell us embarrassing stories of Sora from when you were little.” 

Asa smirked. “Well there was this one time…”


	6. Traverse Town - Act 2

Asa had to wait two weeks before Sora showed up. She’d long since gotten her staff from the Moogles. It was one and a half meters long and made of a strong wood called ironbark. It had a blade that looked like a crown at one end and a heart-shaped metal top that the crystal was embedded into. One end for fighting and one end for spell casting, the moogles had explained. The design had been decided by the crystal when they’d fused it to the metal. 

While she waited for the wizard, Asa had spent time with Yuffie keeping the districts safe. They’d spend an afternoon patrolling a district and beating off the minor heartless that sprung up. It was a hard job, and she soon grew accustomed to the taste of health potions. Those that couldn’t fight recognized their efforts, and gave them food, supplies, and munny when they could. 

Aerith had also been teaching her some magic. She’d learned cure and fire, and had found that the crystal helped her connect with her natural magic. It was strange. Here she had gone her whole life not knowing any magic and now she was tapping into an unknown resource she’d always had inside herself. 

It was on a routine sweep of the second district that Asa spotted Sora for the first time since Destiny Islands. She and Yuffie were relaxing on the bell tower when Asa saw someone come through the door from the first district. She squinted and saw too others following them. 

Suddenly, she recognized the red pants and spikey brown hair. 

“SORA!” she cried and jumpped up. Before Yuffie had a chance to react, Asa was already sliding down the ladder. She smashed a heartless aside as it tried to black her path and sent it flying through the air. She swung down to ground level and raced across the plaza. “HEY! HALF-PINT!” 

She saw her little brother pause on his way down the stairs. Only one person had ever called him half-pint. He looked over the railing in shock. “Asa?” 

She raced up the stairs and slammed into him, knocking them both down as she hugged him. “I found you!” she cried in delight as Sora got over his shock and hugged her back. 

“They said you went down with our world,” Sora said. “I thought the only way I could get you back was if I defeated the heartless.” 

Asa untangled herself from him and ruffled his hair. “C’mon,” she said not able to stop herself from smiling. “Can’t get rid of me that easily.” 

Someone cleared their throat, and Asa looked over to Sora’s companions. “Asa, this is Donald and Goofy,” Sora introduced. “Guys, this is my big sister Asa.” 

“Please to meet you,” Goofy introduced. Now that he was in front of her Asa still wasn’t sure what Goofy was, but could tell right away Donald was a duck. The duck didn’t look happy and was glaring at her. 

“Well it was nice to meet you, but we gotta go,” Donald said. 

“Aw, Donald,” Sora whined. “She’s my sister. Don’t be like that.” 

“What’s his problem?” Asa wondered as Yuffie finally caught up.

“I think he’s just worried about the King,” Goofy said. 

“Come with us for a bit?” Sora asked Asa. 

“Of course,” she said. “We’ve got a lot to catch up on.” 

Yuffie left them to go find Leon, and Asa traveled with Sora through to the third district. They were met with some heartless which the four of them took care of easily. She was impressed with how her brother’s fighting had grown. And she was happy to see Donald and Goofy holding their own. At least her brother hadn’t been carrying the group. 

After they traveled through the door with a flame picture on it to the large underwater cavern. Asa had already been in here, curious about the building out on the island. “This place is deserted,” Asa told them. “I’ve come here to bathe and never even seen a weak heartless.” 

“Well Cid gave us a book to deliver while he fixes up our gummy ship,” Sora told her. 

Asa shrugged. “Well let’s go see if anyone is home.” She hopped out on the first rock and waited as they started to move. “Careful. If you fall in you gotta swim back.”   
“I was born to swim,” Donald quipped at her. 

After they entered the house a kindly old man came in, quite surprised they were standing there. After he had magically unpacked his belongings from a surprisingly roomy suitcase, Sora delivered Cid’s book and he introduced himself as Merlin. 

“You’re Merlin?” Asa exclaimed. “The King of Atlantis sent me to find you.”

“Oh I see,” Merlin said giving her a once over. “And how is Kashekim?” 

Asa paused as she frowned. Her silence was telling because Merlin’s smile fell as well. “Oh. I see,” he said. “Well the man lived a long life. Is his daughter doing well at least?” 

“Kida has taken her place on the throne, and helped me get here,” Asa told him. 

“Good. I’m sure she’ll do well as her father’s successor.”

“You met a King?” Sora wondered aloud. 

“You’re looking for a King,” Asa shot back. 

“Speaking of the King,” Merlin interjected. “He sent me to train you Sora. I have a special room upstairs where you can practice. You are of course welcome to use the space as well Asa, Donald, and Goofy. Oh and there’s one more thing.”

The room sparkled and out popped an older woman in a purple cape. “Well hello dears,” she greeted. “I’m the Fairy Godmother. If you find any gems on your journey let me know. When a world is broken pieces of it fly off and some contain the sleeping hearts of allies you can call to your aid.” 

“Like this one?” Sora asked, holding out a gem.

“Yes, exactly.” She waved her wand and the gem shimmered. “He is awake. Call on him with all your heart when you need him.” 

“Okay,” Sora agreed before turning to Asa. “I kindda wanna do some training, but I feel like we need to catch up. I wanna tell you about all the worlds I’ve seen. And you need to tell me about that King.” 

“Deal,” Asa said. “Why don’t you train and you can crash at my place later. You guys probably need a good night’s rest.” 

“That real thoughtful of you Asa,” Goofy said, before the three of them headed upstairs to Merlin’s attic.

Asa went to leave when Merlin tapped her on the shoulder. “I wanted to talk to you,” Merlin said and pointed to the crystal in her staff. “Leon and Aerith filled me in on how you got that.” 

“Is something wrong?” she asked, noting the serious expression on Merlin’s face. 

“Asa when Atlantis’s heart touched you, what did you feel?” 

She placed her hand on her heart at the memory. “Warm...Happy? Sad? A little bit of everything. It was like I was hollow and suddenly I felt whole.” 

“And that piece of the world’s heart,” Merlin said gesturing to the crystal. “Do you feel that when you use your staff?” 

“Yeah,” Asa said. “But not as strong. And sometimes I…” she paused. “Feel things right before they happen. And when I defeat heartless, it’s almost like the crystal draws something in.”

Merlin nodded and smiled brightly. “You Asa have been given a special gift.”

Asa shook her head in confusion. What was he getting at? 

“You have been chosen Asa, to be a Warden of Light.” 

It was surreal. It was one thing to be told your kid brother had a destiny. It was quite another to be told YOU had one too. Merlin patiently explained that legend said there were once Five Foretellers tasked with collecting light in hopes of protecting it. However, they fought among themselves and started the first Keyblade War. 

Those that survived kept magic and the study of keyblades alive. Among them were Wardens of Light, young men and women with special hearts that would once again collect light within themselves. Their goal was to one day collect enough to free the worlds from darkness. 

“When Atlantis’s heart touched you, it recognized you for what you are. Keyblade wielders are chosen. Wardens are born. That fact that you and Sora are siblings is no coincidence. Traditionally, a Warden of Light is given a keyblade at a young age, but due to circumstances you never received yours.”

Asa swallowed thickly. “How did you used to find them?” 

“They were usually children with special connections to their world’s heart. They were drawn like moths to the door,” Merlin explained. 

Asa touched her heart as understanding flooded her. “That’s how I knew it was there?” 

“What are you guys talking about?” Sora wondered as he, Goofy, and Donald descended from the attic. 

“Sora do you remember the secret place on the play island near the waterfall?” Asa asked his urgently. 

“Yeah…” Sora nodded, not understanding where she was coming from. 

“No one knew it was there,” Asa said. “And then one day when I was like seven I went over and just started tearing the brush away. The entrance was even buried behind some rocks.” 

Sora paused and scratched his head, trying to remember. “I kind of remember that. I remember Gram yelling at you for coming home filthy after.” 

“And down there was a door. A door with no handle we could never open,” Asa nodded. 

“It had a keyhole on it,” Sora told her. “Riku disappeared and I got the keyblade.” He held up the magical weapon. “I fought my way there and found Kairi. The door had a keyhole on it.” 

“I was down there every day for months drawing pictures,” Asa continued. “A grinning cat, a castle, Sora being barked at by a dog, a…” Asa suddenly pointed at Donald. “I drew you!” 

“Me?!” the duck squawked in surprise. 

“A grinning cat must be the cheshire cat from Wonderland,” Sora said in understanding. “Asa, did you draw about where Riku and Kairi might be?” 

“Or the King?” Goofy added.

“I...um...I think I drew Kairi with a crown?” she ventured. “It was so long ago.”

Sora’s shoulders slumped and his smile fell. “Darn. I thought we might have a lead.” He gestured to Merlin. “So what does this all mean? Can Asa see the future?” 

“Not exactly,” Merlin said. “She was merely connecting with the heart of your world. Your sister is a Warden of Light, tasked with collecting light to push back the darkness. And there’s one other thing,” Merlin added. 

“Of course there is,” Asa said, feeling very overwhelmed.

“You can use light magic,” Merlin explained. “It’s very rare. Only Princesses of Heart and Wardens have strong enough hearts to attempt it. There is only one person alive who uses it. I’ll send you to him. You’ll need special training if you’re going to help Sora.”

“So I won’t be able to go with Sora?” Asa faltered. All her efforts had been to find Sora and get them home. And now they would have to separate again. “I can’t…” she started.

“It’s okay Asa,” Sora said, patting her shoulder. “We’ll figure it out. We always have in the past.” She reached up to cover his hand with her own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah...I'm a dragon age fan and like wardens lol.


End file.
